Shipyard Railway facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shipyard Railway
Car #509 in Richmond
Overview
Owner	United States Maritime Commission
Service
Operator(s)	Key System
History
Opened	January 18, 1943
Closed	September 30, 1945
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	600 V DC overhead lines

The Shipyard Railway was an electric railroad line that served workers at the Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond, California during World War II. It was funded by the United States Maritime Commission and was built and operated by the Key System. The line was built quickly from available materials and opened on January 18, 1943, using retired New York City elevated cars. It closed on September 30, 1945, after the conclusion of the war.

Route

The southern terminus of the line was at Yerba Buena Avenue and Louise Street on the Emeryville/Oakland border. A fare controlled platform was built for the Shipyard trains. Connections could be made there with Key System routes A and B, which turned south on Louise Street, outside of fare control. The line ran east on 40th Street (on the south side of the Key System mainline) to San Pablo Avenue, where a pair of fare controlled platforms were located; connections could be made there with other Key System routes outside of fare control.

The line ran north on San Pablo Avenue, jogged two blocks west on Grayson Street, then continued north on Ninth Street. Splitting from Ninth Street, it crossed Codornices Creek and ran diagonally northwest on a private right-of-way across Albany Village, a federal housing project for war workers. A curved trestle brought the line over the main line of the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP). It ran north on dedicated tracks between the Eastshore Highway and the Southern Pacific tracks.

The line turned west along Potrero Avenue in Richmond, reaching Shipyard #2 at 14th Street. After the stop at the Pre-fab Yard (10th Street), it jogged north on 8th Street to Cutting Boulevard. It ran west on Cutting Boulevard with a stop at Shipyard #1 at 5th Street. Near Canal Boulevard, the line turned south onto private right-of-way, with stops at Shipyard #4 and Shipyard #3. Express trains at shift changes served only the shipyard stops and the Key System transfer points at 40th Avenue. Local trains ran every 35–40 minutes and served additional local stops in Emeryville, Berkeley, Albany, and Richmond. Running time for local trains was about 45 minutes.

History

As the Richmond Shipyards were expanded at the beginning of World War II, mass transit was needed to bring East Bay workers to the shipyards. Two "belt line" proposals were advanced in early 1942. "Plan 1", created by an Oakland mayoral commission, would have ran from San Leandro to the shipyards. It would have reused several abandoned IER lines: the Dutton Avenue line (some of which had been taken over by the Key System), tracks along the SP mainline, the 7th Street Line, and the 9th Street Line. New trackage would have been built from Solano Avenue along Panhandle Boulevard (now Carlson Boulevard) and Cutting Boulevard. An alternate proposal by a business association would have used existing Western Pacific Railroad, SP, and Sante Fe Railway tracks. On June 6, 1942, the United States Maritime Commission authorized the Key System to construct and operate a line connecting the Richmond Shipyards to existing mass transit lines in Oakland. The "belt line" proposals were rejected at that time.

The line was built from scrap and available materials, as the war made regular construction materials unavailable. The portion on San Pablo Avenue shared the tracks of the #2 streetcar line of Key System subsidiary Oakland Traction Company, while the Ninth Avenue portion reused part of a 1941-abandoned Interurban Electric Railway (IER) line. Rails were salvaged from other defunct lines, in particular the IER Encinal Avenue Line, for the other sections of the line. Overhead lines were reused from the Bay Bridge, as Key System cars used third rail on the bridge, and the Sacramento Northern Railway and IER had discontinued service using the lines. Two defunct IER substations were relocated to provide power. For the trestle over the Southern Pacific Railroad, bridge beams were fashioned out of used Southern Pacific turntables, and timbers were reused from those ferry moles no longer in use due to the Bay Bridge.

The line opened as far as Shipyard #2 on January 18, 1943. It was extended to Shipyard #1 on February 1, and to Shipyard #3 on February 22. This completion allowed most bus service to the shipyards – which used scarce gasoline and tire rubber – to be discontinued.

At the end of World War II, the Shipyard Railway was offered to the Key System, but they declined, viewing the line as unprofitable. Service ended on September 30, 1945, and the line was quickly dismantled.

Rolling stock

The United States Maritime Commission searched and found obsolete New York City "El" elevated cars awaiting scrap. These wood-bodied cars had been built in 1890 for the New York City IRT Second Avenue Line, initially pulled by steam locomotives and equipped with traction motors and controls prior to 1900. The cars were configured for high-level platforms and third rail, and were roughly adapted to street operation from overhead wire. The Key System did not possess enough pantographs for every car, so they placed one on each married pair of cars. This too proved challenging, as the old wood roofs could not support the weight of a pantograph. Some high level platforms were built, and the Key System's newest cars, "Bridge Units", were operated on the line while a limited number of New York cars were equipped with makeshift steps to street level. These cars became the symbol of the Shipyard Railway.

Shipyard cars #561 and #563, a married pair, are preserved at the Western Railway Museum. #561 is restored and is believed to be the oldest operational electric car in the United States. #563 has been cosmetically restored.